Woman caught ‘fleeing US after sending tens of thousands in Bitcoin to ISIS terrorists’

Zoobi Shahnaz, of Brentwood, New York, reportedly planned to flee the US for Syria, but was stopped at JFK airport

By Jon Lockett

16th December 2017, 10:55 am

Updated: 17th December 2017, 4:38 am

A WOMAN has been busted for allegedly sending tens of thousands of pounds worth of Bitcoins to ISIS fighters overseas - after swindling money from banks.Prosecutors say Zoobi Shahnaz, of Brentwood , New York, was stopped at JFK airport as she was "about to flee the country to Syria."

She was arrested and charged with bank fraud and four counts of money laundering, Acting​ ​US Attorney Bridget Rohde said in a statement.

“As alleged, the defendant Zoobia Shahnaz engaged in a bank fraud scheme, purchased Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies and laundered money overseas, intending to put thousands of dollars into the coffers of terrorists,” Rohde told the New York Post.

The 27-year-old - a former lab technician - allegedly obtained her haul by fooling banks into giving her a £15,000 loan and more than a dozen credit cards.

She then allegedly wired the digital dollars to individuals and "shell entities" in Pakistan, China and Turkey that were ultimately destined for the terrorist organisation.

Shahnaz last year travelled to Jordan to volunteer with the Syrian American Medical Society, during which times she helped give medical aid to Syrian refugees in refugee camps where ISIS “exercises significant influence,” according to court documents.

Investigators also found she’d previously visited web pages of known ISIS recruiters, financiers and fighters - including one article entitled “Islamic State: Who are the Top Female Jihadis.”

Shahnaz faces a maximum of 30 years for the bank fraud charge and 20 years on each count money laundering.